Fire guts university library

Fire guts university library

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of thousands of books and reports of scientific researches were lost when fire gutted Udayana University's library in Denpasar, Bali, yesterday afternoon.

The Antara news agency reported that only smoking debris was left of the two-story building. Chief librarian Tirtayasa said that only a small number of the library's collection of 200,000 books were salvaged.

Among the items saved from the fire were nine volumes of books on first president Sukarno's collection of statues and paintings. The employees were also able to save seven computers and a television set.

Asked to estimate the financial loss, Tirtayasa said: "Our loss cannot be measured in money, because scientific works cannot be measured in such a way."

Hundreds of students, and dozens of residents from areas around the campus and police officers helped fire fighters put out the fire. Rector Nyoman Sutawan and his deputy Ida Bagus Tjitarsa, as well as Denpasar Mayor I Made Suwendha, stood watching the flames sadly.

Sutawan said the college will make do with anything available and try to fill the students' need for books and references.

He also said library activities will be removed to another building, formerly the rector's office, on the Bukit Jimbaran campus, some 32 km south of Denpasar.

Sutawan also said that the incident would certainly affect teaching on the campus, especially for final year students who need literature and other materials to write their thesis.

An employee who witnessed the fire, Suseni, said that most of the librarians had left when the fire started at the eastern part of the second floor. It started with a loud explosion, she said.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire. Several officers contacted by Antara dismissed the suggestion that foul play was involved. (swe)